Trump's flurry of moves ahead of Middle East trip

PRESIDENT TRUMP left Washington Monday boosted by a pause in the trade war with China but trailed by a new controversy over an expensive gift from the government of Qatar.

Trump will be hunting new investment deals for the U.S. over the next four days in the Middle East on the first major foreign trip of his second term, with stops planned in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is also making the trip.

The president boarded Air Force One on Monday as the stock market surged over news of a trade breakthrough between the U.S. and China. The two economic powers agreed to a 90-day pause on most of the retaliatory tariffs imposed since Trump’s “Liberation Day” moves last month.

The Hill’s Sarah Fortinsky writes:

“Under the agreement, the U.S. would lower its tariff rate on Chinese imports from 145 percent to 30 percent, while China agreed to lowers its tariff rate on U.S. goods from 125 percent to 10 percent. China also agreed to suspend or remove nontariff countermeasures taken against the U.S. since early last month.”

At a press conference Monday, Trump said he expects to eventually strike a deal in which China opens their markets to U.S. products, although he noted that China has backtracked on such deals in the past.

“They’ve agreed to do that but it’s going to take a while to paper it,” Trump said.

And Trump said China agreed to crack down on fentanyl production.

Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will discuss the contours of the deal “at the end of the week.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the ultimate aim is a “de-coupling” from China for “strategic necessities” to avoid future supply chain disruptions, as happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Democrats accused Trump of giving in to China.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said China “got the better of Trump,” while Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said “he just caved to Xi Jinping.”

Trump’s trip comes at a fraught time for wars in Gaza and Ukraine, while a promised gift from the government of Qatar dominated headlines in the U.S.

The president says he’ll accept a free Boeing 747 from the Qatari government to serve as the new Air Force One for the remainder of his second term. The plane, which is valued at $400 million, will then be donated to his presidential library, in what is believed to be the most expensive foreign gift ever accepted by the U.S. government.

The announcement raised ethical concerns and national security questions that Democrats are promising to investigate. Senate Democrats are pushing a measure that would target the gift over questions about foreign influence and national security.

“Wannabe Kings accept corrupt gifts from foreign powers. Not the President,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) posted on X. “Prohibiting members of Congress from stock trading is clearly not the only thing we must address this year.”

Trump says he’s only accepting the plane because the current presidential aircraft is 40 years old and the new one ordered from Boeing is years behind schedule.

“They said, ‘we would like to do something’ and if we can get a 747 as a contribution to our Defense Department to use during a couple of years while they’re building the other ones, I think that was a very nice gesture,” Trump said.

“Now, I could be a stupid person and say oh no, we don’t want a free plane,” he added. “ We give free things out, we’ll take one too. And, it helps us out because… we have 40-year-old aircraft. The money we spend, the maintenance we spend on those planes to keep them tippy top is astronomical, you wouldn’t even believe it. So, I think it’s a great gesture from Qatar, I appreciate it very much.”

Here's what we know about the luxury jet.

• Hamas on Monday released Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage taken during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack in Israel.

“His parents are so happy…they thought he was dead,” Trump said.

Trump said he believes about 20 living hostages are still being held by Hamas.

“We hope that we’re going to have other hostages released, too,” he said.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have both indicated they’ll meet in Turkey on Thursday for direct talks about ending the war.

Trump said he’d be open to attending, depending on his scheduled meetings across the Middle East.

“I’d fly there if I thought it’d be helpful,” Trump said.

• The border between India and Pakistan was calm Monday after days of fighting.

Trump said the U.S. helped mediate talks between the two nuclear powers over the weekend.